That Feeling
by Sakura Mau Toki
Summary: He didn't know what that feeling was, but he knew it had something to do with her. Tala/Julia oneshot.


**Author's Note: After months of this being stuck in my Tumblr drafts, it is complete! Here's another Tala/Julia oneshot, though this one is quite long, the longest thing I've written yet. I hope you all will enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, places, etc. All credit goes to the original creators.

**Setting:** Beyblade G Revolution, sometime in between the World Championship matches.

**Rating:** T+

**Pairings/Characters:** Tala/Julia, Raul, Rick/Mariah, Bryan, Kai, mentions of Tyson/?

**Warnings:** Some ableist language.

* * *

><p>She didn't know when it started. Perhaps it was when they met during the Championship opening in America? Perhaps it was when they met face to face in the dish, emerald eyes wide as the purple streak of her bey flew out of the dish while meeting an icy blue stare and that damnable smirk of his. Perhaps it was when, after the championships were over and the wrap up party was underway, they ran into each other, both looking to get away from the noise of the other competitors. Perhaps it was in that moment, when caution was thrown into the wind and when the odd tasting punch took hold, causing two sets of lips to meet that she began the fall. She didn't know.<p>

What she did know, was that she had fallen. Hard.

* * *

><p>She didn't know what to do. What could she do?<p>

Pacing back and forth, a scowl on her lips, no ideas came to mind. This caused her frustration to build, and earned a sigh from her twin.

"You're over thinking this, Sis."

She spun on her heel. "Excuse me? What would you know about over thinking!" she snapped, causing her twin to shrink back before calming himself.

"All I'm saying is don't worry. Just go for it, Julia. You never know until you try. That's what you've always told me, remember?" A look of guilt crossed her face, now feeling bad for snapping at him.

"I know...and if it were any other guy then it would be so bad, but this is _him_ we're talking about! The one who never fails to intimidate others. Not to mention the others are not that fond of him, even after what happened with BEGA. Well, Tyson and the others are, but the other teams...they don't trust him."

"I know, Sis."

She let out a frustrated sigh, fingers pulling through bushy blonde bangs. "Why him, Raul? Why not Robert? Or Miguel? Or maybe Kai? Why _him_?

Raul stood, walking over to his sister before pulling her into a hug. "You can't help who you love, Julia." She cringed at the word. "And you shouldn't feel bad or ashamed for it, either. Even if the others disagree or don't approve, do they really matter?"

"...I guess not."

"Then why hesitate? Why not go to him and see where things end up?" He pulled away and looked her in the eye. "You're stronger and more bold than I am, Julia, and if anyone can ask him out and get to know him, it's you."

She gave Raul a small, warm smile. "Thank you. I'll try."

The wolf may have had her in his hold, but she wasn't going to throw in the towel just yet.

* * *

><p>Why did she think this was a good idea? Why did she bother listening to Raul in the first place?<p>

Why was she now outside his door, wringing her hands like some silly schoolgirl with a crush on the most popular boy in the place?

_Get a hold of yourself, Julia_, she told herself firmly. _You're just asking him a question. Nothing more. You can do this_!

As she raised her hand to knock, the door slowly opened, revealing the popular boy in question.

"...can I help you?" he asked, his tone one of slight amusement as a smirk crossed his lips. He was puzzled as to why she was here, but this was overrun by amusement at her wide eyed, flustered expression.

"Yes, actually," she said quickly snapping out of her trance. "I was wondering if you would care to join me. You know, for a coffee or something." Smooth, Julia.

He raised a brow. "I don't drink coffee," he said, earning a disbelieving look which caused his smirk to widen. "But what the hell. I'll entertain you." Not like he had anything to do, and he didn't want to be around a moody Kai any longer than necessary. _Plus_, he thought, _this could be fun_.

"...you will?" she asked slowly, not believing his words.

"That's what I just said. Don't tell me you're deaf." This earned him a glare.

"No need to be so rude!" she snapped at him.

"Not rude. Simply saying things as they are."

"Well I'm not deaf! I just wasn't expecting your answer, that's all!"

"Sure you're not," he drawled, watching in amusement as her anger began to increase. For some reason he enjoyed watching her emotions and temper flare. It amused him, for some reason. It was also quite attractive, but he would never dare say that.

"Oh shut up and meet me at the fountain at seven tomorrow night! And don't be late!" With that she turned on her heel and stalked off, letting out a huff as he simply watched her leave, arms folded across his chest and that smirk still in place.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

><p>This was it.<p>

After much convincing from her twin, and remembering that night at the wrap up party, Julia decided tonight would be the night. Tonight will be the night she would tell him.

This decision caused her stomach to twist in knots, and she prayed she wouldn't get sick. Everything was riding on this venture, and she wasn't going to blow it. Still, doubts began to creep into her mind. What if he said no? What if he laughed at her? Thought she was being stupid?

She shook her head, refusing to give into her thoughts. She remembered that night at the party, and was convincing herself things would work out. After all, why would he kill her if he didn't like her, right?

She would soon get her answer as the guy in question came into view.

* * *

><p>Truth be told, he hadn't believed her at first. He thought she was just dropping by to say hello, or wanted to challenge him to a rematch. The last thing he expected was her asking him out on a date.<p>

While he didn't mind the notion, it was still strange for him. Yes, he had offers from girls before (and guys, along with a drunk Brian), but he never paid attention to them. He had no time to get involved in an area he had little experience in. After being raised in an abbey, he never had room for feelings like love and affection. He also never had time for dates or anything of the sort with anyone. It was all about training and learning not to feel, which sadly carried over to his person to this day. While he made much progress with expressing his feelings (mostly anger), there was still much he didn't know.

This was made evident after that party. No, it was before then. It was when he battled her for the first time. Something about her drew him in. Perhaps it was her battling spirit, her feisty temper, or just her overall person. Or perhaps it was the way she smiled, or the way her eyes came alive in the heat of battle. Perhaps it was even the way it carried herself, telling him that she was not one to back down from a challenge or would cave so easily. She was a determined, skillful blader and a person who knew who they were. She was bold, energetic, lively, and knew how to have fun. He liked that.

No matter the reason, the fact remained that Julia caused something in him to stir, something he couldn't identify and properly deal with. Being raised in an environment where emotions were forbidden and relationships even less did little to prepare him for what he felt and what to do about it. Should he just go with it? Or should he stop things here before they got worse? But he already accepted her request and had to follow through, and then there was that kiss...

Tala shook the thoughts from his head, forcing his mind to focus on the matter at hand. And good thing, too, for Julia soon came into sight, causing him to feel that stir again.

He made a mental note to ignore it for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>As soon as she heard footsteps, Julia's head quickly turned and a smile crossed her lips. "So, you made it, after all," she said, making sure to use her usual tone and banter. "And here I thought you wouldn't show!"<p>

He rolled his eyes as she fought down the butterflies. "Of course I would show. I'm not Tyson."

"Good thing, otherwise I would be waiting for hours, and would have to spend a fortune to feed you." Both of them cracked a grin at this before they lapsed into silence. after a few moments, Julia spoke again. "Shall we get going?"

Tala gave her a nod before smirking slightly. "Lead the way."

She gave him a nod, turning around to head off towards a new place she and her brother had found just the other day. It was a small and quiet place, and it was warm and served really good coffee. Julia decided it was the perfect place for a date.

A date.

A bright flush made its way to her face as the words echoed in her mind. She was on a date, and with the guy of her affections, to boot. Not only that, but it would be on this date that she was going to tell him. She began to wring her hands in anticipation and anxiety, a movement unnoticed by her until a voice at her side brought it up.

"You're going to have no hands left," he said, his tone one of amusement as she regained her focus. Wide emerald eyes stared at him before looking to her hands. She immediately placed them at her sides, inwardly cursing herself for acting like this.

"I-I knew that."

"Sure you did." His smirk was evident in his tone, and it took all of her willpower not to turn around and snap. He never failed to bring out the worst in her, and she had a sinking suspicion that he quite enjoyed seeing her lose her temper. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

"Whatever. We're almost there," she replied, ignoring his gaze while imagining that one of his brows was now raised as he watched her walk towards the small place. She hoped he didn't see her blush, or if he did, he could blame it on the heat of the little shop as she stepped through the threshold. If he did notice, he didn't say a word.

Instead, he followed her to a small corner table, a window to its left and the occupants to its right and front with an old, worn but welcoming painting just behind it. As he took a seat opposite her, he couldn't help but notice how busy it seemed for such a small place. Everywhere he looked tables of two or three were filled, the occupants paying them no mind. The place had an intimate sort of atmosphere about it, and it started to make him feel uncomfortable.

Of course, he was nowhere near as uncomfortable as Julia, who was now looking everywhere but at him.

"So...what do you think?" she asked after a few agonizing minutes of silence. Tala said nothing, instead looking around the place once more before replying. "It's not bad. A bit small, but not bad." He looked to her. "I take it you found this place?"

"My brother and I did," she said, her gaze focused on something outside. We stopped here to get a snack, and I liked the place and wanted to come back." After a few more seconds, she turned her gaze to meet his. As soon as she did her eyes shifted slightly downwards, causing her to inwardly curse again.

"I see." He paused. "You two find the most bizarre things. Like those outfits you had on when we were in Egypt for the second half of the tournament." This caused her to flush.

"It wasn't weird! It was beautiful!" she snapped, having forgotten all about it and just now realizing that he probably saw her in it.

"It was still strange." Yet it suited her quite well- Wait. Where did _that_ thought come from?

"You simply do not know fashion," she said with a huff. "Though i suppose I could teach you."

"No." His tone was as flat as his stare. "I like my current outfit, thank you very much."

"If you say so, but I could make you look good."

"Don't I look good already?"

Julia paused, a flustered expression slowly appearing on her face as he waited for a could she possibly say without giving herself away, or that would cause him to take advantage of her words?

Tala's brow furrowed upon seeing her expression, a look of confusion appearing on his face. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"N-no, nothing like that."

"Then why didn't you answer. Normally you have quick replies."

Julia hesitated, her gaze cast off to the side as the two fell into silence. During this time Tala managed to work out what had happened, and no sooner had he finished that a smirk was firmly put in place.

"I get it now," he began, causing Julia to shift uncomfortably. "You didn't reply because you didn't want to say the answer out loud. Am I right?" Seeing her shift again, he continued. "If so, then you must think I look good as I am, correct?"

Julia could tell he had figured it out, and was having too much fun with it at her expense. She didn't need to look at him to know he was smirking, enjoying seeing her squirm in his seat as he worked out the truth. Yes, Julia did find him good looking as he was, but she didn't want to admit it out loud.

"...and if I do?" she asked, forcing her gaze to meet his. "If I do find you good looking as you are, what of it?"

Now it was his turn to fall silent, taken aback that she replied with little hesitation this time. He figured she was too embarrassed to say anything, but again she had proven his assumptions about her wrong. She had a nasty habit of doing that.

"...well," he began, now at a loss for words as Julia formed a small smirk of her own.

"Well, what?"

"Well I don't know!" he said, his tone snippy as his impatience and slight frustration began to take hold of him. She was trying to turn things around, which only served to get under his skin. "And anyway, why did you ask me out here?"

This wiped the smirk off of her face, and helped him to save face in the process. "Why I asked you out here?" she asked, deliberately drawing out out the question as if hoping for more time. She didn't want to tell him right now, it was too soon. Judging by his impatient expression and the question he just asked, it seemed as if she had little choice. "I thought it was obvious."

A pause. "Obvious?"

"Well yeah," she said, slowly beginning to regain some of her confidence. "This is a date."

Another pause. "A date?"

She gave him a nod. "Have you never been on one before?" she asked as he shook her head. "You...never went on one?"

"We had no time for such things," he replied. "When you're being raised to feel nothing and train twenty four seven, dates are non-existent." She frowned at his sarcastic tone, but it softened with understanding.

"Well...now you have."

"But why?"

It was her turn to pause, and as her mind scrambled for an answer she could have sworn someone turned up the heat by ten degrees. Fortunately, the arrival of a waitress prevented her from answering right away. She gave her order before leaning back, her mind going back to working out what to say as she watched Tala give his own. Once the waitress had left, an awkward silence descended on the pair.

After a few minutes, Tala spoke again. "You still didn't answer my question."

"I know," she muttered, annoyance seeping into her tone. "This isn't easy, you know."

"It's just an answer. Anyone can give one."

_You are so oblivious_, she thought darkly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the table.

"Well?"

"I like you."

Tala paused. "...pardon?"

"I like you," she repeated, not bothering to fight the colour rising to her cheeks as her gaze looked up to meet his. "I asked you here because I like you. ...and I wanted you to know."

He simply stared, a look of surprise on his face as she spoke. Almost instantly the feeling he had earlier returned, now stronger than it was before. There she went, making him feel strange like she always did. Whenever he looked at her, watched her battle, remembered their battle, and that kiss in the deserted hallway, that feeling was always there. He still didn't know what it was, but he knew she caused it. Sadly the feeling didn't help him to understand her words. "You...like me?"

"That's what I just said. Are you sure you're not deaf?" she quipped, feeling a small twinge of satisfaction as a vein on Tala's temple twitched. Oh how he _hated_ having his words used against him.

"I can hear you just fine," he said, keeping his temper under control. "Buy why this? Why couldn't you just tell me from back at the hotel?"

"Because this is what you're supposed to do," Julia replied, fixing him with a stare. "You're supposed to confess on dates, or confess after a number of dates once you know you really like the person."

"And why do you like me? What could I possibly have that would possess you to like me?" Last time he checked, he was an arrogant blader whose cold glare scared many a person. And coming from a background like Biovolt, you would have to be out of your mind to want a guy like him.

"I don't know...a lot of things."

"Like?"

"Your eyes, for one. Your attitude, your smirk, though both are infuriating at times." He couldn't help but smirk at that. "How you carry yourself, your skills as a beyblader...I don't really know. All I know is that I like you."

He didn't understand. One look at his face could tell her that much. She could see his confusion, and one look into his eyes showed her his brain was at work trying to put together the pieces. Perhaps this wasn't the best decision on her part.

"...you...like me," he said slowly, as if hoping that it would make sense in his mind. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. He didn't know if it was because someone liked him, his own inability to understand the concept due to his upbringing, the fact that someone like her could be interested in a guy like him, or some weird combination of all three.

Julia sighed as their order arrived. "It's alright, forget about it," she said, taking a sip of her coffee, her eyes trained on the cup in her hands. She had a feeling he would find it weird, and though he didn't outright reject her, she felt it was only a matter of time.

Tala faltered, not wanting to let the topic go but not knowing how to continue, either. In the end the two sat in silence, both of them too awkward to continue as Julia tried to keep her emotions at bay. She would deal with them once she was back in her room, but for now she would put up a front. The last thing she wanted was for this to go further south than it already had.

* * *

><p>The walk back had been a long one. The two walked in silence: Tala thinking her words over and trying to understand, and Julia doing her best to remain expressionless. He had noticed her sudden change in expression and mood, wondering what he could have said or done that would change the girl he knew. "Julia?"<p>

"Yes, Tala?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Tala."

He frowned as she fell silent, that lack of emotion in her tone and on her face beginning to get under his skin. He made to ask again, but fell silent as a loud duo appeared in front of them.

"Rick! I told you not to rile Lee up like that!"

"He had it coming, Mariah!"

"But now he's going to be even more against you! Honestly."

The duo stopped, as if sensing the others approaching. Immediately the pink haired girl, Mariah smiled to the two. "Fancy seeing you two love birds out here~" she teased, her grin fading as Julia walked right by, not sparing her friend a glance. Tala remained behind. "...Julia?"

After looking between Rick and Tala, her gaze lingering on the former until he gave a nod before she hurried after the other girl. The two boys were then left alone, Rick slowly turning his attention to the red head. "Alright, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Then why did she walk right by and ignore us all? She didn't seem happy."

"I don't know, but I do know it's none of your business."

"And she was like that before we got here, and she was with you, so you did something."

"I didn't do anything!" he snapped, glaring at the other blader who simply stared back unaffected.

"Just spit it out already."

"Why do you even care?"

The two fell silent for a moment, Rick thinking this over before turning around with a shrug. "You're right, I don't. However, Mariah seems to, and I'll find out one way or another."

Tala said nothing, prompting Rick to continue.

"So the way I look at it is: you can either say so now, or I'll end up hearing it from another source. Unless you really don't know, then I feel sad for you."

This earned him a growl. "Come again?"

Rick turned back around. "It's obvious that you did or said something to upset her, and I'm willing to bet it was over something dealing with feelings." A glare from the Russian prompt him to continue. "She likes you, dude, anyone can easily tell."

Tala rolled his eyes. "I know that, genius!" he snapped.

"So then just tell me what went down, unless you want me or anyone else finding out from someone other than you. I don't think you'd like that, would you?"

Tala said nothing, scowling over the fact that this fool was more perceptive than he thought. It was annoying, really.

However, another look from Rick prompted a sigh. He wasn't going to let the matter go, and no amount of threats from him would deter Rick. This left him with only one option.

"Alright fine! She said she had feelings for me. _Now will you let it go?_"

"And what did you say?"

"...come again?"

"I said, what did you say after she said that?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Rick resisted the urge to punch him. "Everything. Whatever you said or did after she told you that is why Julia is upset now! And here I thought you were the smart one of your team-"

"_Watch it, Rick._"

"What did you say?"

The two glared at each other, both frustrated and looking for any excuse to start a fight. Not feeling up to such a thing at the moment, Tala backed down enough to reply, "I just repeated what she told me, and then she told me to forget about it."

A pause. "So you didn't return it?"

"Why would I?"

Another pause. "Dude, she said she liked you. She was lookin' to see if you felt the same or not. If you just gave her a straight answer, she wouldn't be upset."

"Well how am I supposed to know how to reply!"

"You reply by telling her how you feel, stupid!"

At this Tala fell silent, returning once again to the problem that plagued him earlier. He didn't fully understand the concept of feelings, or about having feelings for someone in general. This he blamed on his upbringing and how Boris all but literally bet feelings out of them. Such things had no place in a blader's life. Because he did not understand, he was unable to answer Julia, or figure out the strange reactions he had whenever he saw or met her.

Sensing something was off, Rick turned around. "Look, Tala, just go think about things for a bit and leave Julia alone." It was clear to the other that Tala understood very little about such things, and further pressing him to answer questions about the topic would do little to help. Or so Max told him when he and the blond were figuring out how Rick felt about Mariah.

When he received no reply, Rick began to walk off, stopping only when something came to him. "If you do feel something, anything, I would suggest talking it over with someone who knows about this stuff. And do it soon."

Tala looked back to him, making to ask why he should only to see Rick walk off towards the hotel.

* * *

><p>"I don't get him!"<p>

Mariah watched her friend in sympathy as she hugged a pillow to her chest, emerald eyes glaring at the TV.

"If he wasn't interested, he could have just said so! He didn't have to keep me waiting like this!"

"Perhaps that's not his fault, Julia," she said carefully. "You know what he's like, and you know how he was raised. From what you told me, it sounds like there is something there, but he doesn't know what it is or what to do about it. He also probably never dated or liked anyone before, so there's that to consider."

A frustrated sigh. "If that's true, then why not just reject me? Why keep me waiting?"

"Just give him time, Julia. He's not doing this intentionally."

"...I know. You're right. Just...I don't like waiting."

"Well, you have no choice but to. However, that doesn't mean we can't make this wait fun! You, me, some movies and a pile of junk food. You in?"

Julia paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. Once she reached a decision, Julia flashed Mariah a devious grin. "Oh I'm in, but I pick the movies."

"...deal."

* * *

><p>"...I don't get it."<p>

Bryan looked up as his leader spoke, bey in one hand and a cloth in the other. The two were currently alone in the room; Spenser was in the kitchen while Kai was off who knows where. "...what do ya mean?"

"I don't get her...I don't get any of this." A frustrated frown crossed his lips, eyes focused straight ahead as Bryan flashed a knowing smirk in Tala's direction.

"You're over thinking it. Just tell her yes and get laid already!" An icy warning glare silenced Bryan in an instant.

"I'm not you, and I don't want such a thing. ...I simply want to understand all this."

"...well, it's obvious, isn't it? She likes you, an' you feel something, so why not just go for it?"

"But what_ is_ that something? _Is_ it the same as hers, or not? You don't take these things lightly." Especially when it came to him. The last thing he wanted was to make a fool of himself, and having little to no prior experience with this sort of thing made him all the more cautious. Plus he didn't know if he even liked her as she did with him.

"Why wouldn't it be? Just go for it, dude."

"How can you be sure? It could be nothing more than a fleeting feeling, if that's what you can even call it. Or it could be an hallucination-"

"Or you could be an oblivious idiot."

Both Tala and Bryan looked towards the sound of a third voice, one that was much colder and more irritated than that of the other two. Kai leaned against the door way, looking at Tala with pure exasperation and irritation despite the indifferent expression on his face. "You know the answer. It's right in front of you, so why do you keep moaning like some live sick thirteen year old? It's disgusting."

Tala's frown turned into a scowl. "Watch it, Kai."

He simply rolled his eyes. "You're acting like Tyson, minus the blatant stupidity." He heard the same arguments, albeit in a less sophisticated form from the Dragoon user often enough to know love when he saw it. However, while it took Tyson less time to figure it out, it would take Tala much longer. Not that he could blame him. It was still disgusting to listen to, though.

Tala quickly rose to his feet, swiftly walking over to Kai and grabbing the front of his shirt. "I am not like Tyson. Take that back!"

"You're sure as hell acting like it."

The two glared at one another, Bryan watching wearily before slowly getting to his feet. "Take it easy, Kai," he said, trying to choose his words carefully lest the two beat each other to a pulp again.

Kai ignored him, instead focusing his gaze on the angry red head before him. "You like her. Plain and simple," he said. "It's quite obvious, even _Rick_ can tell, and _he's_ one of the denser bladers."

Tala still did not let go. "...how can you be so sure?"

"I've watched you two interact, I've heard you talking about the same feelings and sensations over and over, and I heard the same from others. I know."

After a few minutes of silence, Tala let go of Kai, his mind processing his words.

"If you still can't see it, just go ahead with it. It will become clear then." Kai then left without another word, leaving Bryan to protest that he told Tala the same thing first while the teen in question remained lost in thought.

* * *

><p>Julia wrapped her arms around herself as she sat at the edge of the fountain, looking around the deserted courtyard. She had grown tired of waiting, and against Mariah's better judgement, sent a message to Tala for him to meet her as soon as possible. She knew that, if she didn't get one, she would be thrown off her game, unable to focus for the matches ahead.<p>

She needed to know _now_.

After a few minutes, a familiar head of hair began to approach, causing the girl to rise to her feet. Wasting no time, she stalked over to him, a frustrated look upon her face. "There you are!" he said, walking right up to him as he stopped and stood still. "Do you know how long I had to wait? I'm tired of waiting, Tala!"

"Julia-"

"Don't 'Julia' me! I want an answer, and you're going to damn well give me one!"

"I know that-"

"Do you know how many nights I've lost sleep over you? Tossing and turning, worrying about what you would say and how you would respond?"

"Julia, listen-"

"Do you know how much stress and anxiety I put myself through, wondering if you felt the same? Well let me tell you, it's a lot. I'm wasting my time over you!"

"Jul-"

"I love you, you idiot! Why is it so hard for you to say the same!? Why can't you give me an answer?! If you don't, a simple 'I'm not interested' would have been fine! But _nooo_, you just _had_ to keep me waiting-!"

"JULIA!" The girl fell silent, not expecting him to shout like that.

"If you would let me speak before biting my head off, you'd get an answer!" he snapped, pausing to take a deep breath, and to swallow his pride about what he was going to say next. "Look, I don't know much about any of this, and I don't even know for sure if my feelings match yours," he began, causing Julia's expression to soften, taking on a sad look. "However...that doesn't mean I don't want to try."

"...you...want to try?"

"To understand all of this...to understand what I feel. I want to try this."

"...what are you saying?" she asked, hoping he was saying what she thought he was.

"...I want to go out with you. I don't know for sure, but I think I'll know once I try."

Julia paused, thinking the option over. "...so you don't know what you exactly feel, but you want to date? ...what if it backfires? What if you don't feel the same?" Would it be a wise idea to go through with this?

"If that happens, then we'll have to deal with it when it gets here. Until then, I won't know unless I try."

Once again she paused, her mind turning over the answer. A part of her told her to say know, fearing the potential backfire from such an idea. Yet another part urged her on, to accept the offer for the possible good it could bring.

The latter part won out.

"...all right, we'll try it."

Feeling a sense of relief, Julia's initial anger and irritation left, being replaced by a mixture of happiness and worry. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but whatever it would be, she hoped it would be for the better.

* * *

><p>When he received her message, he didn't know what to do. Should he go and take Kai's advice, or should he just tell her no? After a few minutes in thought, he decided to meet her, sending her a text before moving out the door.<p>

Once he arrived at the fountain and spotted her form approaching, his chest began to feel tight. Depending on how this went, it would either go well, or blow up in his face. The fact that she looked angry did little to help matters, leaving him to conclude that this meeting would be the deciding factor.

It was now or never.

Julia-"

"Don't 'Julia' me! I want an answer, and you're going to damn well give me one!"

Yeah, she was angry. "I know that-"

"Do you know how many nights I've lost sleep over you? Tossing and turning, worrying about what you would say and how you would respond?"

This caught him off guard, eyes widening in slight surprise. She had thought about him? To the point that she lost sleep? Only his teammates worried that much about him. "Julia, listen-"

"Do you know how much stress and anxiety I put myself through, wondering if you felt the same? Well let me tell you, it's a lot. I'm wasting my time over you!"

As she spoke, the feeling he felt from the moment he first met her grew, soon urging him to keep speaking. He needed to tell her his decision. "Jul-"

"I love you, you idiot! Why is it so hard for you to say the same!? Why can't you give me an answer?! If you don't, a simple 'I'm not interested' would have been fine! But _nooo_, you just _had_ to keep me waiting-!"

"JULIA!" The girl fell silent, eyes wide in surprise as he took a few deep breaths. Maybe now she would listen.

"If you would let me speak before biting my head off, you'd get an answer!" he snapped, pausing to take a deep breath, and to swallow his pride about what he was going to say next. "Look, I don't know much about any of this, and I don't even know for sure if my feelings match yours," he began, causing Julia's expression to soften, taking on a sad look. Upon seeing this, he hurried forward before she got the wrong idea. "However...that doesn't mean I don't want to try."

Julia then paused, the first of many as she processed his words. "...you...want to try?"

"To understand all of this...to understand what I feel. I want to try this." He could have said 'with you' but that was too mushy, even for him. Plus, it would ruin the mood. The last thing he wanted was for the seriousness of the moment to be ruined by cliched words.

"...what are you saying?" she asked, causing him to take another breath. Here was the moment he took the risk Kai posed, one that would either help to further understand his feelings, or completely destroy everything between them.

"...I want to go out with you. I don't know for sure, but I think I'll know once I try."

Julia paused, thinking the option over. "...so you don't know what you exactly feel, but you want to date? ...what if it backfires? What if you don't feel the same?"

As she spoke, the same concerns crossed his own mind. The last thing he wanted was to ruin things between them. Yet the feeling in his chest would not disappear, continuing to urge him forward with his decision. "If that happens, then we'll have to deal with it when it gets here. Until then, I won't know unless I try."

Tala then fell silent, icy blue eyes locked on hers as he awaited her response. While his face didn't show it, one look into his eyes revealed his own anxiety and worry over this decision. However, upon hearing her next words, all of that left him.

"...all right, we'll try it."

Taking yet another breath, Tala gave her a nod. A small, barely noticeable smile crossed his lips, soon matched with one of Julia's own. "So...what now?"

Julia's smile soon faded, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. "Well first we go on another date and talk about things. You know, getting to know each other better. If you wanna know more about what you feel, and about the person you're with, you have to do this."

He gave her a nod.

"After that, well, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that it's your turn to ask me out for coffee."

This took him by surprise, but his usual smirk soon took hold. "Do I now? Well, what about tomorrow?"

"Time?"

"Two."

Julia paused once more, tapping a finger to her chin before grinning. "Two tomorrow afternoon it is. And don't be late." With that, the blader turned around and headed off, leaving Tala to himself as she felt both excitement and anxiety running through her once more.

She didn't know that the teen she left behind felt the same.

**Fin**


End file.
